Us Against the World: The Diary of Elizabeth Bennet
by kabashley19
Summary: A modern take on Pride and Prejudice as told through Lizzie Bennet's diary.
1. Chapter 1

**_AN: _**_I know that there are a million-and-one Pride and Prejudice fics out there, but I've been watching the movies lately and became inspired to try my own thing. _

* * *

**_Sunday April 5th._**

Let me start off my saying that, having finally decided to start a journal, diary thing, I'll try to be as honest as I possibly can when writing in here. That's what a diary is for, isn't it?

First, an introduction.

My name is Lizzie Bennet. Elizabeth Rosemary Bennet, if Mom is angry with me. We live in Meryton, which is a small country town in Connecticut, about an hour's drive away from Bridgeport. It's barely on the map, so I wouldn't even bother looking for it. I guess you could say we're middle-class; we're not rich and we're not desolate. We get along just fine.

Dad's got his job as a farmer (more of an overseer, actually; we own the farm but have people working for us), and his being on the town council, which gives him the excuse to be away from Mom most of the time, who decided to leave school once they got married to be a full-time housewife and spend all of her time at home (or gossiping at her weekly sewing bee), which is weird because she's always complaining about having to do housework.

One might ask why a woman in this day and age would give up such a great education and do something so old-fashioned. Isn't it outdated for a woman to stay at home and watch the kids while her husband is off working?

I might agree with that, but I think I could let my mom's ideology slide just this one time, because when you live in a house with five kids, someone's got to make sure the house doesn't burn down.

Oh yeah. There are five of us. All girls, too. I guess it's because they were trying so hard for a boy, but after my last sister was born, they gave up.

Jane's the oldest at 26. Now, I know people are going to think I'm only saying this because she's my sister, but she's the prettiest one in the family, possibly our whole town. I'll even go as far to say she's prettier than most of the girls I've seen in the city. She has these huge, blue-green eyes and long, thick curly hair in the most amazing auburn colour (which she gets from Mom's side of the family). I remember guys in high school literally drooling when she smiled at them, which was all the time, because aside from being gorgeous, Jane is the nicest, most kind-hearted person you'd ever meet. She works at a flower shop in the center of town, which I think is the perfect job for her; no one can resist buying flowers when they surround such a beautiful woman.

I'm next, being one year younger than Jane. I've heard people call me an Amazon, because of my 'fierce nature', whatever that means. Maybe it's because I'm not afraid to speak my mind. Looking in the mirror right now, I guess I could say I'm pretty; wavy dark hair, brown eyes, good teeth (I never needed braces, thank God). I inherited my dad's looks which is why I think I'm his favourite. Mom says that I'm the prettiest after Jane, so at least I have that going for me. I could really care less though. I'm happy with the way my life is going; I have a degree in journalism from Trinity College and when I'm not writing for our local newspaper, I help Dad out on the farm, mostly because I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty.

Mary's after me. She's 21, and now that I think about it, I don't remember ever seeing her go a day without her nose in a book. She's _really _shy, and I guess you could call her the black sheep of the family. She's attractive in a different way, I think (she has dad's dark hair and mom's hazel eyes). If only she would open up and talk to us without making herself sound like a preacher ("I think this is the best way to do things", blah blah blah). She's always playing the piano we have in the living room, as if the sound could drown out the constant arguing between Kitty and Lydia. She works in the small library we have in town, which she says is good because she doesn't have to deal with 'stupid people'. Lydia calls her 'Miss Snobby-pants', and I think it's kind of true; Mary thinks she too good for us, when the sad reality is that _she's _the odd one out.

Kitty, or Katherine, is 19. She got her nickname from bringing in a stray cat once when she was four. She's a cutie pie with straight blonde hair and blue eyes like Jane's, only darker. She used to follow me everywhere when she was little, but ever since Lydia passed puberty, they've become inseparable. Kitty goes where Lydia goes, like a shadow, no matter how ridiculous the idea is. That's pretty much all I can say about her, and that's depressing.

Lastly, we have Lydia. _Wow_. What can I say about little Lydia? She's just turned eighteen, and she's made sure she let's everyone know it. She's got a pixie-face, and she's very pretty with strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes. She's always got the best gossip, and she's always lording herself over poor Kitty, who's protests to Mom fall on deaf ears. Lydia is Mom's favourite, and it's not hard to see why; they're exactly the same. She's jealous of Jane because Jane is prettier than all of us, and she demands the spotlight at every event that she goes to. She picks on poor Mary because it's easy, but she wouldn't dare try that with me, because she knows I'd let her have it (which I have). She's loud, she's immature (though she tries to act like she's older) and she's the most selfish person to ever walk the planet, but she's my sister and I love her regardless.

That's my life, I guess. The five of us against the world.


	2. Chapter 2

**_April 15. (Sunny!)_**

Came in from my after-work jog to hear Mom yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Oh my God! This is too exciting!"

I walked into the kitchen to see Dad sitting at the table, reading the newspaper with his glasses down low at the tip of his nose and Mom, waving her wooden spoon in the air. She didn't seem to notice that she was making tomato sauce fly all over the place.

"Rob? Robert, are you listening? Did you even hear what I said?"

"Not really," Dad said dismissively as he flicked a piece of oregano from the page he was reading.

"Oh for- To think I had to marry the most inconsiderate man in the world!"

I kissed Dad on his balding forehead and he smirked at me. Annoying Mom is the best part of his day.

As I rummaged through the fridge for a bottle of water, I asked, "What's the news, Mom?"

"A nice young man just moved into town on Monday," she burst out.

"And he's single!" Kitty exclaimed.

I shrugged my shoulders. "So?"

Mom hit her spoon on the counter. "Oh Lizzie, you are as exasperating as your father! He bought the Netherfield mansion! You know, that big place out on the edge of town? His name is Charles Bingley, He's a lawyer. And he's rich! Where's your sister? Jane! Jane!"

"Why is this any of her business?" Dad asked, finally looking up from the paper.

"She's going to marry him!" I almost spit my water out when she said that. Mom wrapped her arms around Jane when she dutifully appeared in the kitchen.

"What?" I exclaimed. "We haven't even met him yet!"

"Which brings me to my next point," Mom said, a little smugly.

She wants Dad to go and visit him, she said. She wants him to let this guy know that he's welcome at our home at any time. She's sure that he'll take one look at Jane and fall head-over-heels for her and then marry her.

"Mom, please. You can't be serious."

"I sure as hell am, Lizzie. Why else would he come all the way out here?"

"Mrs. Long says it's because he wanted a change of pace from the city life," Lydia said.

"'It is universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.'"

We all turned to look at Mary, who was sitting at the kitchen island, nose was still in her book.

"Where on earth did you hear that?" Dad asked her.

"Some book. You wouldn't know."

"Well, there's some truth to it," Mom stood with her hands on her hips and pointed to Dad. "It's settled then. You will go to Charles Bingley and welcome him to the neighbourhood."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"Nah, I don't feel like it. Send Jane and the rest of the girls to go see him, since you want him to meet her so badly." Dad waved his hand dismissively while I tried to stifle a giggle.

"No! That's not how it's done! _You _have to go. How would it look for my daughters to be out and about, visiting a stranger? And it has to be tonight; I know for a fact that Mrs. Lucas, that fox of a woman will be on his doorstep right now."

"Well, her husband _is _the mayor," Jane pointed out.

"What difference does that make? She'll try to line him up for Charlotte. I know, I know Lizzie, she's your friend and all that, but she not as pretty as any of you."

I felt my cheeks get heated when she talked about Charlotte Lucas. She's been my best friend since kindergarten, and we've always stuck together. And she _is _pretty, but Mom just doesn't look beyond people's faces sometimes.

"Mom, if you're going to stand there and bad-mouth my friend, then I totally refuse to have anything to do with this Bingley guy."

"Well, whatever." She ignored me after that, and continued to pester Dad about visiting him. He wasn't having it, though, and twice I saw him drum his fingers on the table, annoyed.

This went on for an hour, give or take, before Mom decided to give up and forget the whole thing. She didn't even want to hear the word 'Bingley', she was so irritated. I would've laughed if her face didn't look like a tomato.

"Do you mean that, honey?" Dad asked her.

She shot him a look that would've sent any other man to his feet, but Dad just sighed. "Of course I mean it. Why should I care anymore about some snob? He probably thinks he's too good for us anyway. We're better off without him!"

"Oh jeez. Well, if you had said that yesterday, I probably wouldn't have introduced myself when I met him in the hardware store this morning."

Mom, Kitty and Lydia squealed to the point where Breck, our dalmatian, scurried out of the room. I sympathized with him before being swept up in the excitement by my sisters, who immediately asked if Charlie (that's how he introduced himself to Dad) was going to the Spring Floral Festival Dance this Saturday (he is).


	3. Chapter 3

**_April 19, 2 a.m._**

Well, we finally met him.

I had gone earlier to the Festival with Jane, who was in charge of organizing the floral arrangements for the centerpieces and the arched walkways that led to the town square. Everything looked gorgeous, thanks to her eye for all things beautiful. The night was warm and clear; Mom couldn't have planned it any better.

Guests started pouring in around 7 p.m., buzzing about Charlie Bingley and watching the entrance to see when he arrived. Even though I was curious to see the mystery bachelor, I wasn't about to make a fool of myself. I went to the dance to have fun!

Charlotte joined me at the refreshment table and the two of us sat at a picnic table, giggling over every little thing just like we did when we were in grammar school. Teenagers swarmed around the DJ (who was some local high school kid with a stereo system and an iTunes account) to request songs and the older folks watched as the young adults danced enjoyably. Everyone was letting loose and having a good time, until about 8:30, when the new group of people appeared at the party. We all, in surprise, stopped to stare.

He seemed nervous, poor guy. But he _was _cute. Tall, with short black hair that went wonderfully with his dark skin and a friendly, if not terrified smile, he greeted Mayor Lucas cheerily and introduced him to the group of people behind him.

As we walked over to where Mom was sitting with Jane, I asked Lottie about Charlie's friends.

"The short one with her hair in a bun is his oldest sister, Louisa Hurst, and that's her husband behind her," Lottie pointed out a...okay, a fat man who headed straight for the bar. "The taller woman is his younger sister, Caroline. She's a very successful businesswoman; she's gunning to take over their father's company one day."

I wasn't really paying attention, at that point. My attention was solely focused on the only other man in Charlie's party. He seemed to be every woman's romantic hero come to life. He towered over Charlie, and wore a black suit with the collar of his crisp white shirt undone. Broad shoulders, light brown hair, strong jawline...he was impossibly sexy, I'll admit it.

"What about that guy?" I tried to sound casual, but Lottie knew me better. She smiled as she told me about Darcy Fitzwilliam, of the famous Fitzwilliam family. "They've been around as long as the U.S. has been a country." Old money, apparently. He inherited everything when his dad died a few years ago. "He's a lawyer too, and he represents the family company." _Fitzwilliam Shipping Co_. Mom whistled as she caught the tail-end of our conversation.

"Two gorgeous, rich men. Two gorgeous, rich, _single _men! What a blessing! Jane, sit up straight! Lizzie, get rid of that gum!" I hate it when she gets all panicky like that. She started shushing everyone when Mayor Lucas brought Charlie over to meet us.

"And here we have the most beautiful women in the state!" Mayor Lucas almost bowed, and I smiled. I love his old-fashioned manners. He re-introduced Lottie and his wife before going over each of us in turn.

I never saw a man's eyes bulge out like that. But then, anyone's would when they first settle on Jane. Charlie stammered a hello to her, and she blushed so deeply that she almost matched her hair! (I have to remember to tease her about that in the morning).

I, on the other hand, couldn't take my eyes off of Darcy. He was even more dashing up close! He smelled like an expensive cologne and his chin was covered in stubble (how hot is that?). He was tanned, like he had just come back from a Caribbean vacation, and all the girls started adjusting their hair and outfits as he stood nearby. But I got the feeling that he'd rather be anywhere except at the dance, and that his fine-tailored suit was too good for Meryton county.

Okay, then.

The night went on, and everyone was having a great time, especially, I could see, Jane and Charlie. He attached himself to her the whole time, and she glowed whenever he spoke to her. I ducked behind a lattice partition covered in vines to do a little dance.

My sister is in love!

I stopped, however, when I overheard Charlie's pleasant voice directly behind me.

Here is where it gets interesting.

Charlie was begging Darcy, who had moved to the opposite side of the exact same partition that I was dancing behind, to mingle. "Dance with someone!"

"Why? You've already got the prettiest girl we've seen in this town."

"Oh my God. Darcy, she's amazing. An angel. I can't explain...she's perfect! But I can't leave you alone over here while I'm having fun. You're making me feel bad."

"I would dance with your sister, but she's gone to the restroom."

"Then let me introduce you to Jane's sister, Lizzie. She's really pretty too. Smart as a whip, I've heard."

I blushed at the praise, I've gotta admit.

"The brunette sister?" My heart jumped to my throat, thinking of how to get out of there so they wouldn't know I was eavesdropping. But then,

"She's not my type, and I don't think she's as pretty as you say she is. She looks like every other savage in this town. You can't think that I can spend an evening trying to have a civilized conversation with her?"

I'm still mad as I'm writing this.

Then he told him to go back to Jane because he was wasting his time trying to talk him "into spending time trying to find anything interesting in this boring, hick town."

Well, we might not be Beverly Hills, but we're sure as hell friendly enough to welcome even the most stuck-up people into our community. And he didn't even look at me, and I'm not pretty enough for him?

When I told mom about what he said, she flipped her lid. But I immediately regretted telling her anything, because then she started complaining so loud that by the end of the night, everyone knew what had happened. "Poor Lizzie."

Poor Lizzie. _Puh-lease_.

When we got home, Jane and I stayed up until about a half-hour ago, gossiping about the night. She wouldn't stop talking about how wonderful Charlie is.

"He's amazing, Liz. I can't explain-he's so sensitive and sweet and smart and-"

"Gorgeous, which helps, right?"

She giggled before flopping down on the bed beside me. "I still can't believe Darcy said that about you, though. Why would Charlie have a friend like that?"

"Whatever. I don't care anymore. He can keep his money and his stuck-up attitude." Changing the subject, she started raving about his sisters and how lovely they are.

"You think so?"

"Yeah! They were so nice to me, and complimented me on the flowers..."

"I dunno. They seem kind of fishy. That Caroline was stuck to Darcy like glue, and Louisa's fat husband hogged the bar. They all had a bad attitude."

"Liz, don't be like that. Just because you're mad at Darcy, that doesn't mean you have to think they're all bad."

I looked at my sister. She's never said anything bad about anyone in her life. Of course she likes the Bingleys. Besides, if they _do _get married, Jane will be the one to have to deal with them. Not me.

All in all a good night. But I still can't get over Darcy, and how rude he was. We don't need people like him in our lives.

Savages.

_Ugh_. I hate him already.


	4. Chapter 4

**April 25.**

Jane got a phone call this morning from Caroline Bingley. She's been invited to go with them this weekend to a house they have by the lake. (How many houses do these people need, anyway?)

Mom almost flipped when she heard.

"She's practically part of the family already!"

"Mom, please," Jane said as she packed her overnight bag. "I'm only going because I've gotten to be really good friends with Caroline and Louisa. Besides, Charlie won't even be there. He's been at some meetings in Stamford for the past week, and Caroline said that they don't expect him to go to the lake house at all."

"Well, that's just awful luck," Mom said as she tossed one of Jane's fancier dresses onto the bed. "You'll need that to make a good impression in case he does come up to see you."

"Mom, she's not going to a fancy cocktail party!" I picked up the dress and hung it back in the closet, while Jane silently mouthed a 'thank-you' over Mom's head.

Later, as we said goodbye to her, I noticed the sparkly, midnight blue fabric peeking out of the zipper. Mom must've stuffed it in there when Jane wasn't looking. I feel bad for Janie; Mom's going to drive her up to meet Caroline and her sister at the Netherfield mansion before they all leave together for the lake house, and I know she'll be in full lecture mode.

(Later, around 2 p.m.)

It started to rain heavily not too long after Jane left with Mom. No lightning, but I did hear a rumbling of thunder a few minutes ago, which scared Breck and he decided to ride out the storm by hiding under by bed.

Mom had a really weird smile on her face when she walked through the door.

"How was the drive?" Dad asked her as he walked in from his study. "Did the rain give you any trouble?"

"No, not really. But we were about ten minutes away from the house when the car stalled. Can you believe that?" She was still smiling as she said it, so I instantly became wary. Turns out, Mom made Jane walk to the house from where the car was!

"That's almost a twenty minute walk!" I exclaimed. "And in this downpour? Are you crazy?"

"Watch the way you talk to me, Lizzie. She was late enough as it is, and I didn't want to make her any more late by waiting for a cab."

I knew Jane didn't have the nerve to disagree with Mom (something Jane has envied me for, while at the same time she said I should have more respect), so she probably sighed and hopped out of the car, no umbrella, no rainboots. Poor thing.

"Well, if you think about it this way, if the rain doesn't let up, she'll have to spend the night at the mansion. And when Charlie hears that she's there…" Mom trailed off in a sing-songy voice that reminded me of Lydia.

I texted Jane when I came upstairs, but still no answer yet. I hope she's okay.

**April 26 (around 9 a.m. Still gloomy)**

Finally heard back from Jane.

_Sorry didn't txt back. Caught a bad cold from the rain. The girls are super nice. They don't want me to move until I'm better, so tell mom we're not going to the lake. Throat hurts, so I can't talk. Luv u._

I jumped out of bed and raced downstairs to where Mom was pouring a cup of coffee. Lydia wasn't up yet (on the weekends, she stayed out until dawn and slept in until noon), but Mary and Kitty sat together arguing over whether or not it was gross that Kitty put ketchup on her eggs. Dad had just walked in with Breck after walking to the corner store to grab his Saturday morning newspaper, and clicked his tongue when I finished explaining about Jane.

"Well, sweetheart," he addressed Mom, "I hope you feel better knowing that Charlie Bingley was a noble enough cause for Jane to get so sick that she ends up in the hospital. And, might I add, all because you said she should walk in the rain."

"Oh, stop it. She's absolutely fine. It's just a cold, Lizzie said so herself. Plus, I think they'll take very good care of her over there." She smiled smugly.

Frustrated with Mom's lack of sympathy, I announced that I was going to go see her. Mom almost choked on her coffee and ordered me back to my room. But I stood my ground.

"She's all alone over there. She needs me, and I need to make sure she's okay."

"You won't be taking my car then. And your father's car is being repaired. So, what do you say to that?"

"I'll ride my bike."

Kitty burst into a snort. "Yeah, right. It'll take you all day."

"Hey, genius. I run every day, remember? A bike ride is nothing."

"No Lizzie," Mom still didn't let up. "It's still soggy out there from the rain yesterday."

"Then I'll wear my rainboots. I've made up my mind."

Mom looked to Dad for help. His answer didn't surprise me at all. "Be careful, and text us when you get there."

I've stuffed a backpack full of meds and a 'perk-me-up' kit for Jane, change of clothes for me, and this diary. I've got a feeling that what happens there will be worth writing about.


End file.
